Abstract:

A rising social problem in our society is teen pregnancy. Researchers and policymakers are continually trying to understand the influencing factors, risks, and solutions to the reality of adolescent sexuality and pregnancy. While there is not one reason, but many explanations for the cause, a largely debated influence is the role that parents play in the lives of their children concerning this issue. Studies reveal that parents have a significant part in developing their child's sexual morals and values that will affect their choices concerning sexuality. Moreover, countless researchers have and continue to examine the effect of positive relationship and continuous communication on adolescent sexuality experiences and choices. Considering the reality of this factor in teen pregnancy, I give an overview of studies, research findings, and programs that have already examined parental roles. From the literature review, I partnered with Planned Parenthood in Muncie to tackle the practice problems they currently face with educating and helping parents to better communicate and teach their children sexuality issues. I give a description of my personal research questions and hypothesis, methodology of the research project, and the results of my findings. Included are the survey instrument and graphs that explain the data analysis.